[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 517]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   THE CBP NEEDS TO PAY WHAT IT OWES

  (Mr. BOUSTANY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to draw attention to an issue with 
serious implications for Louisiana.
  Over the past 20 years, Customs and Border Protection has not only 
failed to collect $2.3 billion in antidumping duties, it has doubled 
down by refusing to pay collected interest owed to American industries 
like Louisiana's crawfish processors.
  Last October, CBP promised this Louisiana industry it would disburse 
$6 million in interest, only to reverse its decision 1 month later. 
This is just unacceptable.
  While I was able to include language in the Homeland Security 
Appropriations bill to address this issue, I still don't believe it 
goes far enough to ensure that CBP is forced to follow through on 
paying what it owes under the law.
  It is vitally important that Congress hold CBP accountable. This 
industry is not only an important job creator, it has deep Louisiana 
roots in Louisiana's culture.
  Mr. Speaker, I will not allow CBP to run over this industry without a 
fight.

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